FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (19 - 25 JUNE 1973)
This week's many stories include the end of the line for the Thatto Heath Old Men's Benevolent Fund, the shortage of bus crews in St Helens, the Rainhill inquiry over house building on greenbelt land, more atmospheric fallout in Sutton, the space-age Pilkington suit and an update on the refuse lorries dangerously trundling through Rainford to the new Holiday Moss tip.
Last month Rainhill Civic Society said they would be protesting against proposals to build a housing estate on 131 acres of land near the village. Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane. Judy Lowe, secretary of the society, said then: "It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air. During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
On the 19th of this week a public inquiry began into Whiston Rural Council's rejection of the proposals after the landowners had appealed against their decision. Lady Patricia Pilkington, wife of glass boss Sir Alastair Pilkington, described the area as a "lung for a heavily industrialised community", where people from St Helens, Thatto Heath and Prescot went for fresh air. A letter written by Sir Alastair to the Minister of the Environment was also read out in which he claimed that a decision to build on the land would be irreversible and irresponsible, spoiling the area for future generations. The inspector would report back with his decision on the appeal in a few weeks.
The Georgian State Dance Company were billed as "the world's greatest dancers" when they performed at the Theatre Royal in St Helens on the 24th. Outside the Corporation Street theatre about 50 persons protested about the treatment of Jews in Russia. The Reporter wrote how a "cordon of burly Russian security men" kept watch on the demonstrators.
Six weeks ago sixty 45-gallon drums of chemical waste were dumped on the Siding Lane refuse tip in Rainford and set alight. A black column of acrid smoke hung over the tip for several days, while firemen and council workers fought to keep the blaze under control. The weeklong fire extended to two acres of the tip and several of the drums exploded in the heat and a nearby wood was set alight.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 22nd revealed that one of the unmarked drums had been found to contain a highly dangerous carcinogenic chemical. The "pirate dumpers" had seemingly got away with their crime. A description of the lorry involved had led investigators nowhere and Rainford Council was considering employing a "night watchman" – as security was then often called.
The Reporter featured another knock-down sale in the literal sense when P & H Jolley, the "coat and gown specialists”, opposite Beechams in Westfield Street, announced their closure: "Closing Down Due To Demolition Order – All Stocks Must Go" said their ad, with leather coats on sale from £19.95.
During the five years that I have been writing these '50 Years Ago' articles there has been one constant issue – a shortage of bus drivers and conductors. That had led to many complaints by passengers of unreliable timetables. Much had been tried to address the problem – including the introduction of one-man buses; pay increases for employees and advertising campaigns to recruit new staff. But although these measures had improved recruitment, the department's poor rates of retention soon led to numbers dropping and services being cut.
This week St Helens Corporation's Transport Department announced that they were having to axe more of their bus services. Crews were quitting their jobs at such a rate that the total number of drivers and conductors had been reduced to 205, instead of the full complement of 262. That was in spite of big increases in pay which meant the gross average wage, including overtime, was now over £36 for one-man drivers, over £31 for double-decker drivers and nearly £30 for conductors.
When in 1968 the Transport Department had advertised for "Bus Drivers, Conductors and Conductresses" the average gross wage for a 44-hour working week was stated as £16 4 shillings for drivers and £15 9 shillings for conductors / conductresses, with increases after six and twelve months' service. "It's our worst manpower shortage for three years", complained Leslie Newall, the Passenger Transport Department's Acting General Manager. "And it's becoming increasingly difficult to obtain drivers."
Mr Newell added that recruiting bus staff was a nationwide issue through competition from industry and not all passengers were understanding of their difficulty: "We get a fair number of complaints. We depend on crews working overtime. They are co-operative, but there are times where we just haven't the staff. The worst days are usually Fridays and Saturdays, when crews are reluctant to do overtime."
It was the end of the line for the Thatto Heath Old Men's Benevolent Fund this week when its last annual distribution of cash was made. The charity had paid out over £41,000 (around £600,000 in today's money) over the last fifty or so years. When the fund began the beneficiaries received 2s 6d in cash, a party at Christmas and an outing to play bowls. In 1948 the fund was reformed and the annual payment was increased to £1 (around £50 in today's money) and at Christmas a pound of tea and a jar of coffee were given. During the last few years the food gifts had been abandoned and only the money was paid out. The outgoing chairman, John Short of Lugsmore Lane, said:
"We used to have raffles, bowls games, and football pools to raise money. Donations were sent in as well. But then interest fell away. The men on the committee got old and no young men would come on to replace them. We had to stop the pools because we couldn't get any agents. This year not a penny has come in. So if there's no support I decided it was time we called it a day. The fund was an asset when times were bad and there was no national insurance or welfare state. But now things have improved. People are better looked after these days."
One of the Reporter's favourite adjectives during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s was "space-age". It was used again this week to describe the type of suit Pilkington staff that worked in high temperatures would soon be wearing. The paper described the suit as being like a pair of long johns, fitted top-to-toe with water ducts. The water was cooled by a small, portable pack containing a chemical such as carbon dioxide snow.
Company director Dr Joseph Hill described the need for such a suit at a recent Society of Glass Technology conference: "At Pilkington, there are temperatures that would fry an egg in your hand. A man wearing this suit could work for half-an-hour in conditions in which he could now stay for only two or three minutes."
There was another case of atmospheric fallout in Sutton this week – but unusually Leathers Chemicals were in the clear. The pollution struck pedestrians in Sutton Road and led to a 10-year-old boy collapsing in a coughing fit. John Thorne who lived at the Manor Arms Hotel said:
"I was playing football with friends when we saw this fog. We thought it was coming from a fire, so we ran up Sutton Road to see. Just before the Imperial Hotel, I went straight into the fog. It hurt my throat and chest. The fog was thick, white, and very strong. I was coughing very hard and was frightened – I couldn't breathe."
John slumped against a wall and then fell on his hands and knees coughing. Wilf Llewellyn of Bentinck Street saw the children scatter and pulled John off the pavement and took him into the Imperial Hotel. There the boy was given a glass of water and he sat inside recovering until the cloud had lifted.
Mr Llewellyn said: "When it came down, I couldn't breathe. It's frightening – it's hard to imagine what it's like, unless you've been in it." St Helens Council's Public Health chief, Nat Birch, said he believed that the fallout came from British Sidac – but the cellulose maker in Lancots Lane denied responsibility.
In January a public inquiry had considered objections to St Helens Corporation's plans to clear the Napier Street area of 285 homes. New modern houses and roads would then be built on the site that spread over eight acres. This week the Department of the Environment gave their decision on what essentially were appeals by residents against the compulsory purchase of their homes.
As usual the inspector ruled in favour of the council, saying the authority was justified in buying all the land and he considered all but five houses unfit to live in. They would initially be excluded from the clearance order but would still eventually be demolished.
The storm over the large refuse lorries that had begun trundling through Rainford village to the new Holiday Moss tip showed no sign of abating. This week Cllr. Audrey Berry submitted a report to the Rainford Highways Committee, which said: "Unless we act, and act fast, Rainford faces destruction." Cllr. Berry said the lorries were already creating danger, and when they reached their peak of 100 lorries making 200 trips a day, the risk to pedestrians would be multiplied.
"Assuming that the site is open for 10 hours a day, a lorry would be travelling through Hydes Brow once every three minutes", she said. The committee agreed that something had to be done in terms of finding a safe route – but no consensus could be agreed. However, the contractor involved would be submitting suggestions for alternative routes in July, so no decision would be made until then.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the late night pong over Parr, the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital, the million pound facelift for Derbyshire Hill homes, the fish disaster in Carr Mill Dam and there's good news for Rainford Guides.
Last month Rainhill Civic Society said they would be protesting against proposals to build a housing estate on 131 acres of land near the village. Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane. Judy Lowe, secretary of the society, said then: "It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air. During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
On the 19th of this week a public inquiry began into Whiston Rural Council's rejection of the proposals after the landowners had appealed against their decision. Lady Patricia Pilkington, wife of glass boss Sir Alastair Pilkington, described the area as a "lung for a heavily industrialised community", where people from St Helens, Thatto Heath and Prescot went for fresh air. A letter written by Sir Alastair to the Minister of the Environment was also read out in which he claimed that a decision to build on the land would be irreversible and irresponsible, spoiling the area for future generations. The inspector would report back with his decision on the appeal in a few weeks.
The Georgian State Dance Company were billed as "the world's greatest dancers" when they performed at the Theatre Royal in St Helens on the 24th. Outside the Corporation Street theatre about 50 persons protested about the treatment of Jews in Russia. The Reporter wrote how a "cordon of burly Russian security men" kept watch on the demonstrators.
Six weeks ago sixty 45-gallon drums of chemical waste were dumped on the Siding Lane refuse tip in Rainford and set alight. A black column of acrid smoke hung over the tip for several days, while firemen and council workers fought to keep the blaze under control. The weeklong fire extended to two acres of the tip and several of the drums exploded in the heat and a nearby wood was set alight.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 22nd revealed that one of the unmarked drums had been found to contain a highly dangerous carcinogenic chemical. The "pirate dumpers" had seemingly got away with their crime. A description of the lorry involved had led investigators nowhere and Rainford Council was considering employing a "night watchman" – as security was then often called.
The Reporter featured another knock-down sale in the literal sense when P & H Jolley, the "coat and gown specialists”, opposite Beechams in Westfield Street, announced their closure: "Closing Down Due To Demolition Order – All Stocks Must Go" said their ad, with leather coats on sale from £19.95.
This week St Helens Corporation's Transport Department announced that they were having to axe more of their bus services. Crews were quitting their jobs at such a rate that the total number of drivers and conductors had been reduced to 205, instead of the full complement of 262. That was in spite of big increases in pay which meant the gross average wage, including overtime, was now over £36 for one-man drivers, over £31 for double-decker drivers and nearly £30 for conductors.
When in 1968 the Transport Department had advertised for "Bus Drivers, Conductors and Conductresses" the average gross wage for a 44-hour working week was stated as £16 4 shillings for drivers and £15 9 shillings for conductors / conductresses, with increases after six and twelve months' service. "It's our worst manpower shortage for three years", complained Leslie Newall, the Passenger Transport Department's Acting General Manager. "And it's becoming increasingly difficult to obtain drivers."
Mr Newell added that recruiting bus staff was a nationwide issue through competition from industry and not all passengers were understanding of their difficulty: "We get a fair number of complaints. We depend on crews working overtime. They are co-operative, but there are times where we just haven't the staff. The worst days are usually Fridays and Saturdays, when crews are reluctant to do overtime."
It was the end of the line for the Thatto Heath Old Men's Benevolent Fund this week when its last annual distribution of cash was made. The charity had paid out over £41,000 (around £600,000 in today's money) over the last fifty or so years. When the fund began the beneficiaries received 2s 6d in cash, a party at Christmas and an outing to play bowls. In 1948 the fund was reformed and the annual payment was increased to £1 (around £50 in today's money) and at Christmas a pound of tea and a jar of coffee were given. During the last few years the food gifts had been abandoned and only the money was paid out. The outgoing chairman, John Short of Lugsmore Lane, said:
"We used to have raffles, bowls games, and football pools to raise money. Donations were sent in as well. But then interest fell away. The men on the committee got old and no young men would come on to replace them. We had to stop the pools because we couldn't get any agents. This year not a penny has come in. So if there's no support I decided it was time we called it a day. The fund was an asset when times were bad and there was no national insurance or welfare state. But now things have improved. People are better looked after these days."
One of the Reporter's favourite adjectives during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s was "space-age". It was used again this week to describe the type of suit Pilkington staff that worked in high temperatures would soon be wearing. The paper described the suit as being like a pair of long johns, fitted top-to-toe with water ducts. The water was cooled by a small, portable pack containing a chemical such as carbon dioxide snow.
Company director Dr Joseph Hill described the need for such a suit at a recent Society of Glass Technology conference: "At Pilkington, there are temperatures that would fry an egg in your hand. A man wearing this suit could work for half-an-hour in conditions in which he could now stay for only two or three minutes."
There was another case of atmospheric fallout in Sutton this week – but unusually Leathers Chemicals were in the clear. The pollution struck pedestrians in Sutton Road and led to a 10-year-old boy collapsing in a coughing fit. John Thorne who lived at the Manor Arms Hotel said:
"I was playing football with friends when we saw this fog. We thought it was coming from a fire, so we ran up Sutton Road to see. Just before the Imperial Hotel, I went straight into the fog. It hurt my throat and chest. The fog was thick, white, and very strong. I was coughing very hard and was frightened – I couldn't breathe."
John slumped against a wall and then fell on his hands and knees coughing. Wilf Llewellyn of Bentinck Street saw the children scatter and pulled John off the pavement and took him into the Imperial Hotel. There the boy was given a glass of water and he sat inside recovering until the cloud had lifted.
Mr Llewellyn said: "When it came down, I couldn't breathe. It's frightening – it's hard to imagine what it's like, unless you've been in it." St Helens Council's Public Health chief, Nat Birch, said he believed that the fallout came from British Sidac – but the cellulose maker in Lancots Lane denied responsibility.
In January a public inquiry had considered objections to St Helens Corporation's plans to clear the Napier Street area of 285 homes. New modern houses and roads would then be built on the site that spread over eight acres. This week the Department of the Environment gave their decision on what essentially were appeals by residents against the compulsory purchase of their homes.
As usual the inspector ruled in favour of the council, saying the authority was justified in buying all the land and he considered all but five houses unfit to live in. They would initially be excluded from the clearance order but would still eventually be demolished.
The storm over the large refuse lorries that had begun trundling through Rainford village to the new Holiday Moss tip showed no sign of abating. This week Cllr. Audrey Berry submitted a report to the Rainford Highways Committee, which said: "Unless we act, and act fast, Rainford faces destruction." Cllr. Berry said the lorries were already creating danger, and when they reached their peak of 100 lorries making 200 trips a day, the risk to pedestrians would be multiplied.
"Assuming that the site is open for 10 hours a day, a lorry would be travelling through Hydes Brow once every three minutes", she said. The committee agreed that something had to be done in terms of finding a safe route – but no consensus could be agreed. However, the contractor involved would be submitting suggestions for alternative routes in July, so no decision would be made until then.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the late night pong over Parr, the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital, the million pound facelift for Derbyshire Hill homes, the fish disaster in Carr Mill Dam and there's good news for Rainford Guides.
This week's many stories include the end of the line for the Thatto Heath Old Men's Benevolent Fund, the shortage of bus crews in St Helens, the Rainhill inquiry over house building on greenbelt land, more atmospheric fallout in Sutton, the space-age Pilkington suit and an update on the refuse lorries dangerously trundling through Rainford to the new Holiday Moss tip.
Last month Rainhill Civic Society said they would be protesting against proposals to build a housing estate on 131 acres of land near the village.
Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane.
Judy Lowe, secretary of the society, said then: "It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air. During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
On the 19th of this week a public inquiry began into Whiston Rural Council's rejection of the proposals after the landowners had appealed against their decision.
Lady Patricia Pilkington, wife of glass boss Sir Alastair Pilkington, described the area as a "lung for a heavily industrialised community", where people from St Helens, Thatto Heath and Prescot went for fresh air.
A letter written by Sir Alastair to the Minister of the Environment was also read out in which he claimed that a decision to build on the land would be irreversible and irresponsible, spoiling the area for future generations.
The inspector would report back with his decision on the appeal in a few weeks.
The Georgian State Dance Company were billed as "the world's greatest dancers" when they performed at the Theatre Royal in St Helens on the 24th.
Outside the Corporation Street theatre about 50 persons protested about the treatment of Jews in Russia.
The Reporter wrote how a "cordon of burly Russian security men" kept watch on the demonstrators.
Six weeks ago sixty 45-gallon drums of chemical waste were dumped on the Siding Lane refuse tip in Rainford and set alight.
A black column of acrid smoke hung over the tip for several days, while firemen and council workers fought to keep the blaze under control.
The weeklong fire extended to two acres of the tip and several of the drums exploded in the heat and a nearby wood was set alight.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 22nd revealed that one of the unmarked drums had been found to contain a highly dangerous carcinogenic chemical.
The "pirate dumpers" had seemingly got away with their crime. A description of the lorry involved had led investigators nowhere and Rainford Council was considering employing a "night watchman" – as security was then often called.
The Reporter featured another knock-down sale in the literal sense when P & H Jolley, the "coat and gown specialists”, opposite Beechams in Westfield Street, announced their closure:
"Closing Down Due To Demolition Order – All Stocks Must Go" said their ad, with leather coats on sale from £19.95.
During the five years that I have been writing these '50 Years Ago' articles there has been one constant issue – a shortage of bus drivers and conductors. That had led to many complaints by passengers of unreliable timetables.
Much had been tried to address the problem – including the introduction of one-man buses; pay increases for employees and advertising campaigns to recruit new staff.
But although these measures had improved recruitment, the department's poor rates of retention soon led to numbers dropping and services being cut.
This week St Helens Corporation's Transport Department announced that they were having to axe more of their bus services.
Crews were quitting their jobs at such a rate that the total number of drivers and conductors had been reduced to 205, instead of the full complement of 262.
That was in spite of big increases in pay which meant the gross average wage, including overtime, was now over £36 for one-man drivers, over £31 for double-decker drivers and nearly £30 for conductors.
When in 1968 the Transport Department had advertised for "Bus Drivers, Conductors and Conductresses" the average gross wage for a 44-hour working week was stated as £16 4 shillings for drivers and £15 9 shillings for conductors / conductresses, with increases after six and twelve months' service.
"It's our worst manpower shortage for three years", complained Leslie Newall, the Passenger Transport Department's Acting General Manager. "And it's becoming increasingly difficult to obtain drivers."
Mr Newell added that recruiting bus staff was a nationwide issue through competition from industry and not all passengers were understanding of their difficulty:
"We get a fair number of complaints. We depend on crews working overtime. They are co-operative, but there are times where we just haven't the staff. The worst days are usually Fridays and Saturdays, when crews are reluctant to do overtime."
It was the end of the line for the Thatto Heath Old Men's Benevolent Fund this week when its last annual distribution of cash was made.
The charity had paid out over £41,000 (around £600,000 in today's money) over the last fifty or so years.
When the fund began the beneficiaries received 2s 6d in cash, a party at Christmas and an outing to play bowls.
In 1948 the fund was reformed and the annual payment was increased to £1 (around £50 in today's money) and at Christmas a pound of tea and a jar of coffee were given.
During the last few years the food gifts had been abandoned and only the money was paid out. The outgoing chairman, John Short of Lugsmore Lane, said:
"We used to have raffles, bowls games, and football pools to raise money. Donations were sent in as well. But then interest fell away. The men on the committee got old and no young men would come on to replace them.
"We had to stop the pools because we couldn't get any agents. This year not a penny has come in. So if there's no support I decided it was time we called it a day.
"The fund was an asset when times were bad and there was no national insurance or welfare state. But now things have improved. People are better looked after these days."
One of the Reporter's favourite adjectives during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s was "space-age".
It was used again this week to describe the type of suit Pilkington staff that worked in high temperatures would soon be wearing.
The paper described the suit as being like a pair of long johns, fitted top-to-toe with water ducts.
The water was cooled by a small, portable pack containing a chemical such as carbon dioxide snow.
Company director Dr Joseph Hill described the need for such a suit at a recent Society of Glass Technology conference:
"At Pilkington, there are temperatures that would fry an egg in your hand. A man wearing this suit could work for half-an-hour in conditions in which he could now stay for only two or three minutes."
There was another case of atmospheric fallout in Sutton this week – but unusually Leathers Chemicals were in the clear.
The pollution struck pedestrians in Sutton Road and led to a 10-year-old boy collapsing in a coughing fit. John Thorne who lived at the Manor Arms Hotel said:
"I was playing football with friends when we saw this fog. We thought it was coming from a fire, so we ran up Sutton Road to see. Just before the Imperial Hotel, I went straight into the fog.
"It hurt my throat and chest. The fog was thick, white, and very strong. I was coughing very hard and was frightened – I couldn't breathe."
John slumped against a wall and then fell on his hands and knees coughing. Wilf Llewellyn of Bentinck Street saw the children scatter and pulled John off the pavement and took him into the Imperial Hotel.
There the boy was given a glass of water and he sat inside recovering until the cloud had lifted.
Mr Llewellyn said: "When it came down, I couldn't breathe. It's frightening – it's hard to imagine what it's like, unless you've been in it."
St Helens Council's Public Health chief, Nat Birch, said he believed that the fallout came from British Sidac – but the cellulose maker in Lancots Lane denied responsibility.
In January a public inquiry had considered objections to St Helens Corporation's plans to clear the Napier Street area of 285 homes.
New modern houses and roads would then be built on the site that spread over eight acres.
This week the Department of the Environment gave their decision on what essentially were appeals by residents against the compulsory purchase of their homes.
As usual the inspector ruled in favour of the council, saying the authority was justified in buying all the land and he considered all but five houses unfit to live in.
They would initially be excluded from the clearance order but would still eventually be demolished.
The storm over the large refuse lorries that had begun trundling through Rainford village to the new Holiday Moss tip showed no sign of abating.
This week Cllr. Audrey Berry submitted a report to the Rainford Highways Committee, which said: "Unless we act, and act fast, Rainford faces destruction."
Cllr. Berry said the lorries were already creating danger, and when they reached their peak of 100 lorries making 200 trips a day, the risk to pedestrians would be multiplied.
"Assuming that the site is open for 10 hours a day, a lorry would be travelling through Hydes Brow once every three minutes", she said.
The committee agreed that something had to be done in terms of finding a safe route – but no consensus could be agreed.
However, the contractor involved would be submitting suggestions for alternative routes in July, so no decision would be made until then.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the late night pong over Parr, the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital, the million pound facelift for Derbyshire Hill homes, the fish disaster in Carr Mill Dam and there's good news for Rainford Guides.
Last month Rainhill Civic Society said they would be protesting against proposals to build a housing estate on 131 acres of land near the village.
Planning consent was being sought to develop the land, which was bounded by Old Lane, Blundells Lane, Cumber Lane and Stoney Lane.
Judy Lowe, secretary of the society, said then: "It is the only place left in the Rainhill area where people can stroll about in the open air. During the summer, hundreds of people go there and are able to enjoy an unrestricted view over the Mersey and to the Wirral and the Welsh hills. If this goes there will be nothing left."
On the 19th of this week a public inquiry began into Whiston Rural Council's rejection of the proposals after the landowners had appealed against their decision.
Lady Patricia Pilkington, wife of glass boss Sir Alastair Pilkington, described the area as a "lung for a heavily industrialised community", where people from St Helens, Thatto Heath and Prescot went for fresh air.
A letter written by Sir Alastair to the Minister of the Environment was also read out in which he claimed that a decision to build on the land would be irreversible and irresponsible, spoiling the area for future generations.
The inspector would report back with his decision on the appeal in a few weeks.
The Georgian State Dance Company were billed as "the world's greatest dancers" when they performed at the Theatre Royal in St Helens on the 24th.
Outside the Corporation Street theatre about 50 persons protested about the treatment of Jews in Russia.
The Reporter wrote how a "cordon of burly Russian security men" kept watch on the demonstrators.
Six weeks ago sixty 45-gallon drums of chemical waste were dumped on the Siding Lane refuse tip in Rainford and set alight.
A black column of acrid smoke hung over the tip for several days, while firemen and council workers fought to keep the blaze under control.
The weeklong fire extended to two acres of the tip and several of the drums exploded in the heat and a nearby wood was set alight.
The lead story in the Reporter on the 22nd revealed that one of the unmarked drums had been found to contain a highly dangerous carcinogenic chemical.
The "pirate dumpers" had seemingly got away with their crime. A description of the lorry involved had led investigators nowhere and Rainford Council was considering employing a "night watchman" – as security was then often called.
The Reporter featured another knock-down sale in the literal sense when P & H Jolley, the "coat and gown specialists”, opposite Beechams in Westfield Street, announced their closure:
"Closing Down Due To Demolition Order – All Stocks Must Go" said their ad, with leather coats on sale from £19.95.
Much had been tried to address the problem – including the introduction of one-man buses; pay increases for employees and advertising campaigns to recruit new staff.
But although these measures had improved recruitment, the department's poor rates of retention soon led to numbers dropping and services being cut.
This week St Helens Corporation's Transport Department announced that they were having to axe more of their bus services.
Crews were quitting their jobs at such a rate that the total number of drivers and conductors had been reduced to 205, instead of the full complement of 262.
That was in spite of big increases in pay which meant the gross average wage, including overtime, was now over £36 for one-man drivers, over £31 for double-decker drivers and nearly £30 for conductors.
When in 1968 the Transport Department had advertised for "Bus Drivers, Conductors and Conductresses" the average gross wage for a 44-hour working week was stated as £16 4 shillings for drivers and £15 9 shillings for conductors / conductresses, with increases after six and twelve months' service.
"It's our worst manpower shortage for three years", complained Leslie Newall, the Passenger Transport Department's Acting General Manager. "And it's becoming increasingly difficult to obtain drivers."
Mr Newell added that recruiting bus staff was a nationwide issue through competition from industry and not all passengers were understanding of their difficulty:
"We get a fair number of complaints. We depend on crews working overtime. They are co-operative, but there are times where we just haven't the staff. The worst days are usually Fridays and Saturdays, when crews are reluctant to do overtime."
It was the end of the line for the Thatto Heath Old Men's Benevolent Fund this week when its last annual distribution of cash was made.
The charity had paid out over £41,000 (around £600,000 in today's money) over the last fifty or so years.
When the fund began the beneficiaries received 2s 6d in cash, a party at Christmas and an outing to play bowls.
In 1948 the fund was reformed and the annual payment was increased to £1 (around £50 in today's money) and at Christmas a pound of tea and a jar of coffee were given.
During the last few years the food gifts had been abandoned and only the money was paid out. The outgoing chairman, John Short of Lugsmore Lane, said:
"We used to have raffles, bowls games, and football pools to raise money. Donations were sent in as well. But then interest fell away. The men on the committee got old and no young men would come on to replace them.
"We had to stop the pools because we couldn't get any agents. This year not a penny has come in. So if there's no support I decided it was time we called it a day.
"The fund was an asset when times were bad and there was no national insurance or welfare state. But now things have improved. People are better looked after these days."
One of the Reporter's favourite adjectives during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s was "space-age".
It was used again this week to describe the type of suit Pilkington staff that worked in high temperatures would soon be wearing.
The paper described the suit as being like a pair of long johns, fitted top-to-toe with water ducts.
The water was cooled by a small, portable pack containing a chemical such as carbon dioxide snow.
Company director Dr Joseph Hill described the need for such a suit at a recent Society of Glass Technology conference:
"At Pilkington, there are temperatures that would fry an egg in your hand. A man wearing this suit could work for half-an-hour in conditions in which he could now stay for only two or three minutes."
There was another case of atmospheric fallout in Sutton this week – but unusually Leathers Chemicals were in the clear.
The pollution struck pedestrians in Sutton Road and led to a 10-year-old boy collapsing in a coughing fit. John Thorne who lived at the Manor Arms Hotel said:
"I was playing football with friends when we saw this fog. We thought it was coming from a fire, so we ran up Sutton Road to see. Just before the Imperial Hotel, I went straight into the fog.
"It hurt my throat and chest. The fog was thick, white, and very strong. I was coughing very hard and was frightened – I couldn't breathe."
John slumped against a wall and then fell on his hands and knees coughing. Wilf Llewellyn of Bentinck Street saw the children scatter and pulled John off the pavement and took him into the Imperial Hotel.
There the boy was given a glass of water and he sat inside recovering until the cloud had lifted.
Mr Llewellyn said: "When it came down, I couldn't breathe. It's frightening – it's hard to imagine what it's like, unless you've been in it."
St Helens Council's Public Health chief, Nat Birch, said he believed that the fallout came from British Sidac – but the cellulose maker in Lancots Lane denied responsibility.
In January a public inquiry had considered objections to St Helens Corporation's plans to clear the Napier Street area of 285 homes.
New modern houses and roads would then be built on the site that spread over eight acres.
This week the Department of the Environment gave their decision on what essentially were appeals by residents against the compulsory purchase of their homes.
As usual the inspector ruled in favour of the council, saying the authority was justified in buying all the land and he considered all but five houses unfit to live in.
They would initially be excluded from the clearance order but would still eventually be demolished.
The storm over the large refuse lorries that had begun trundling through Rainford village to the new Holiday Moss tip showed no sign of abating.
This week Cllr. Audrey Berry submitted a report to the Rainford Highways Committee, which said: "Unless we act, and act fast, Rainford faces destruction."
Cllr. Berry said the lorries were already creating danger, and when they reached their peak of 100 lorries making 200 trips a day, the risk to pedestrians would be multiplied.
"Assuming that the site is open for 10 hours a day, a lorry would be travelling through Hydes Brow once every three minutes", she said.
The committee agreed that something had to be done in terms of finding a safe route – but no consensus could be agreed.
However, the contractor involved would be submitting suggestions for alternative routes in July, so no decision would be made until then.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the late night pong over Parr, the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital, the million pound facelift for Derbyshire Hill homes, the fish disaster in Carr Mill Dam and there's good news for Rainford Guides.